Using Windows 7 on iMac

Was thinking of using Boot Camp to accommodate Windows 7 on my iMac (I need to be able to access some Window applications dating back to my pre-Mac days). I had been told that this was an alternative route to using software like Parallels.

But, I have been told that going the Boot Camp route means that you can only log in to either your Mac OS or Windows - so it means logging out and logging in - very cumbersome.

With Parallels, however, I believe you have the luxury of having both systems logged in at the same time, and you can then toggle between them.

Is my understanding go of these 2 routes correct? If it is, then the Parallels route is obviously the more convenient way to go, even though it requires the purchase of the Parallels software.

I'd like to hear experiences of anyone who has used either or both routes.

mandav said:

Is my understanding go of these 2 routes correct? If it is, then the Parallels route is obviously the more convenient way to go, even though it requires the purchase of the Parallels software.

Click to expand...

Yes your understanding is quite correct.
The beauty of being in Bootcamp is you have all the resources that your Mac hardware has to offer. The beauty of a VM as you stated is you dont have to log in and out.
There is a free way so you dont have to purchase Parallels/VM Fusion is the open source https://www.virtualbox.org.

It really comes down to what you intend on doing with both OS on your Mac and if you can share your RAM with windows in a VM ??

I've used BootCamp on my MBP and VirtualBox on my iMac. The iMac is brand new and has better processor and lots more RAM than my MBP. That's why I went with the VM on the iMac. Runs pretty much the same on both machines. As stated, it really depends on how intensive your work is in Windows and if your Mac can handle the work load at the same time as running OSX.

VirtualBox is free but takes some considerable tweaking at first. I'd suggest searching their forums to see how to install the add-ons that make it work right. But it works great now that I've got it the way I want it.

It is possible to have a Bootcamp installation that is used for the basis of a virtual machine in Parallels or Fusion. It may also be possible in Virtualbox though I am not familiar with that program.

This arrangement allows you to use the virtual machine Windows setup for most things. You have both operating systems running at the same time if need be. The straight Bootcamp partition is used for those times you need to boot directly into Windows. The downside to this is that some versions of Windows are rather picky and want you to have two different activation keys for Windows. In essence the Bootcamp partition and virtual machine (Parallels, etc) are two different sets of hardware as far as Windows is concerned.